Agorak Prison
Agorak is a hard labor prison located, and named after, Agorak's Gorge in the Gray Hills of southern Kavir. The prison is notorious both for its harsh, sometime inhuman conditions and the Iron March that ends there.
Design
Agorak is a hard labor camp; located in a mountain valley rich with iron ore and with vast granite deposits, the quarry work and mining operations are extremely lucrative, though they are not paying jobs. The only way into the valley is blocked by a massive, 10-meter-high, 8-meter-long, "depressingly grey" brick wall; Prison guards and personnel have their living quarters inside the wall, as well as the facilities required for operating the prison.
"The prisoners, however, lived in tents. We dreaded the winter, and it was very common for older prisoners to perish during harsh ones. This sparked a tradition in which prisoners mark each winter they spent in Agorak with a tattoo on their wrist, each year corresponding to a horizontal black stripe. In the winters after they leave Agorak, some prisoners cross the stripes off with a vertical, white stripe; one for each winter spent there."
- Kairoz the Andorian on his time in Agorak
Entries
The prisoners are tasked with the quarrywork and mining operations, including loading the shipments. This is a common way to attempt escape, yet usually ends with death by starvation or exposure, since it takes few weeks for the shipment to arrive at its destination. Other than the Iron March, there is no other way inside.
Denizens
Most prisoners are incarcerated for minor offenses, such as theft, forgery, racketeering, and assault with extenuating circumstances. Due to this, and to other reasons, they are usually met with empathy from both the prison guards and warden.
The other reasons consist of the conditions of incarceration. Riots are easily taken care of, as the valley creates a natural killing floor; and most importantly, the prisoners are dependent on supplies and provisions from the guards. Merely barricading inside the wall can lead to the death of almost half the prisons population in less than two weeks.
Due to its location, the prison is very productive, with production rates of approximately 22,000 tons of iron ore and 36,000 tons of granite produced yearly.
Natural Conditions
The weather and living conditions are harsh and could be outright deadly, rendering violence and disciplinary actions practically redundant.Due to its location, the prison is very productive, with production rates of approximately 22,000 tons of iron ore and 36,000 tons of granite produced yearly.
History
The quarries in Agorak's Gorge predate the prison by centuries and can be traced as far back as Iorund Agorak and the Elders War, when it was used as a camp for elven prisoners of war, most of whom affiliated with Clan Telvarsir.
Following the Kavirian War many Kaviri clans were trying to consolidate their power and influence in the new kingdom; among them was Clan Bolverk, who in 945 was in desperate need of coin. The then Earl of Agorak decided to turn the quarries into a private prison, buying prisoners and criminals from other parts in the empire, and used them as free labor in the harsh conditions of the gorge. A wall was ordered to be built in the only entrance to the valley, blocking it completely; the construction of the massive "24 feet wide 32 feet tall" wall took 4 years to complete, with an approximate of 1000 prisoners specifically brought solely to help its completion.
Despite the initial concern of concentrating so many prisoners in one place, they proved capable of policing each other in return for miniscule privileges and seemingly insignificant favors. With most payment being done in the form of bread, importing prisoners have proven to be a lucrative business. In 951, two years after the wall was completed, the first wardens were appointed and the prison was officially operational.
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